Patna: A mother’s desperate bid to save her six-month-old daughter from a house fire ended in tragedy in Bakhtiyarpur on Saturday evening, as the infant and two other family members died despite woman’s attempt to return to the burning building after escaping it.The deceased were identified as six-month-old Sundari Kumari, daughter of Moni Kumari, Geeta Devi (60), mother of Pankaj Kumar, and Pankaj’s wife Reema Devi (35).According to police, the blaze broke out around 6.30pm during a havan puja after a diya reportedly set a curtain on fire. The flames quickly engulfed the front portion of the house, filling it with thick smoke and trapping several occupants.As the fire spread, Moni Kumari, her husband Shivam Kumar, Pankaj Kumar and Pankaj’s 10-year-old son Pratik Raj rushed to the terrace to escape. With flames blocking the only exit, they jumped from the building to save themselves.Moni sustained a fractured leg in the fall. After reaching safety, however, she realised that her six-month-old daughter was still inside the burning house. Despite her injury, she tried to return to rescue the child but could not save her.Bakhtiyarpur SHO Devanand Sharma said Moni was later rescued by firefighters and is undergoing treatment at the Bakhtiyarpur community health centre. Her physical injury has compounded the trauma of losing her infant daughter in the incident.According to the SHO, the fire originated in the front section of the house, making it extremely difficult for those inside to reach the lone entry and exit point, which was quickly blocked by flames and smoke.“As the situation worsened, firefighters entered the house through the terrace to reach those trapped inside. With only a few windows, smoke accumulated on the first floor. The team rescued Moni and recovered the bodies of the other victims. They were taken to hospital, where all three were declared dead,” Sharma told this newspaper on Sunday.Recalling the incident, Pankaj said the situation escalated rapidly after the curtain caught fire.“The flames and smoke spread suddenly, leaving us with little time to react. We initially tried to douse the fire, but when the situation became critical, we ran to the terrace, unaware that my mother, wife and niece were in a room on the first floor,” he said.After the postmortem and other formalities were completed, the bodies were handed over to the family. The victims were cremated on Sunday amid grief among relatives and local residents.
